ill be honest with u. the word "athletic" is used so loosely these days. if u play sports u are an athlete meaning you are athletic. now with that being said there are more gifted athletes than others..like some people are born naturally fast or quick...doesnt mean u cant achieve that level of speed or quickness..just means u have to work harder to attain it. thats anything in life....some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth others have to work hard to achieve it.

ill be honest with u. the word "athletic" is used so loosely these days. if u play sports u are an athlete meaning you are athletic. now with that being said there are more gifted athletes than others..like some people are born naturally fast or quick...doesnt mean u cant achieve that level of speed or quickness..just means u have to work harder to attain it. thats anything in life....some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth others have to work hard to achieve it.

Good stuff. I think I am probably in agreement with you, though I've always wondered about where the line stood between natural ability and earned.

I feel I had to earn my skills, and it was a lifelong process. Yes, I trained hard through my teen years and beyond, but even in my youth, I was outside playing sports all the time - soccer, basketball, football, baseball, whatever - and I think early involvement, both organized and not, can help set the stage for one's athletic prowess as time moves forward.

Always been under the impression, to have an elite athletic skill you gotta have natural abilities + hard work. But little athleticism + working hard can get you really good. There just something different about people who just have it naturally.

When I was younger, I met this dude who I balled with. Think he was like 2 years younger than me, but he'd cut thru in front of my house and I had a hoop. He was one of those outgoing kids... and anyone who was like 'yo u wanna ball' would always get me going.

Anyway, we got older, and at some point, he finally overtook me athletically. He wasn't an athlete like me, but he put in the work. Was a football player, and really took shit seriously. I mean, if he took off his shirt and I took off my shirt, people would think he was the real athlete of us. Where as, I would just sleep all day and then ball at like 1pm. lol.

I still stay in shape. I ****ed my ankle and got to see the other side of the argument, per se. It's really kind of a curse to be athletic or great at anything. You end up looking for someone who is better. And dudes on TV might be better, but until you have access to someone who is better/more athletic than you... you're not going to work. At least that's my POV.

So, to follow up, if you're questioning yourself, you should think about it. Maybe you're accepting defeat. It's stupid to stay doing something to prove yourself wrong. If you have a gut feeling you can succeed, work harder, if not, keep it as a hobby and find something else.

Edit: And that's why I could never see why people were so mad at Shaq. Just like dude said, "a little athleticism plus a lot of work." Well, it is the same as a lot of natural athleticism and a little work. It'd be hard to live in the gym if you were Shaq. And people probably do cap out at some point.

If you're not a professional athlete you should worry about being the best you can be and not worry too much about wether you're genetically gifted or not. Be smart about the work you put in, more is not always better.

I would say a mixture of both. Some are already born athletic, but then you still need training to bring out the best of your potential. Some are not athletic, but even then with perseverance and hard work then can be very athletic too.

athleticism is something you're born with. i classify it under "talent". think of talent as an aptitude: you have certain limits. of course one can train to make themselves better, but everyone has a personal ceiling.

for instance, i could train as hard as kobe bryant, shoot as many practice shots as he does, eat the same things he does, etc, but would never be as good as he is simply because i wasn't born with the same things he has. whether it be readily apparent like height or wingspan, or the "intangible" stuff. everyone has it. some just have more of "it" than others.

athleticism is something you're born with. i classify it under "talent". think of talent as an aptitude: you have certain limits. of course one can train to make themselves better, but everyone has a personal ceiling.

for instance, i could train as hard as kobe bryant, shoot as many practice shots as he does, eat the same things he does, etc, but would never be as good as he is simply because i wasn't born with the same things he has. whether it be readily apparent like height or wingspan, or the "intangible" stuff. everyone has it. some just have more of "it" than others.

You may not be kobe, but I believe with real dedication and hard work anyone can be a professional baller somewhere, provided you are not a midget.